It’s a …

So Stonesoup is coming to you a little bit late this week. But I have a very good reason…

Yes. It’s a BOY!

Fergal St. John Brennan was born on the 21st June.

If you’re into the baby stats he was 4.5kg or 10lb and 53cm long. Yes a BIG boy. I seem to have been feeding him very well already.

And to celebrate we have cake!

Fergal seems completely happy for now to stick to milk, although if he’s anything like his father I’m sure one day he’ll be asking me to make this cake for him.

Little F’s Steamed Caramel Cake

You know how some cakes tend to cook and be dry on the edges but moist in the middle? The original versions of this cake kept doing that to me until I stumbled across the idea to ‘steam’ the cake by putting a plate on it to capture the steam as it cools. This keeps everything super moist and lovely. Thanks to Margot Henderson via a steamed chocolate cake recipe in Australian Gourmet Traveller for the idea.

The other secret to success with this cake is to make sure you use real white chocolate. Check the ingredients list to make sure your white chocolate is made with real cocoa butter rather than crappy vegetable oil.

2. Melt butter in small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add chocolate chunks. Allow to stand while the chocolate melts.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until super light and foamy. Gradually beat in brown sugar until well combined.

4. When the chocolate has melted stir and add egg yolks to the mixture.

5. Add the chocolate mixture and almond meal to the egg whites and fold gently until just combined.

6. Carefully transfer the mixture to your prepared tin.

7. Bake for 1 hour or until the cake is deeply golden and feels springy in the middle when you touch it.

8. Remove cake from the oven. Cover with a plate and allow to cool and steam for at least an hour.

VARIATIONSvegan / egg-free – I’m afraid the eggs are really key to the texture of this cake.

dairy-free – I haven’t tried this but you could easily replace the butter with coconut oil. And replace the white chocolate wiht a combination of 100g extra coconut oil, 100g extra almond meal and 50g extra brown sugar. If you do try this let me know!

Peanut Butter Ganache

Inspired by peanut butter ganache on the most amazing Fender Bass Guitar cake my super talented sister, Naomi, made for my Irishman’s birthday back in January.

If you live in Sydney and ever need a creative birthday cake, she’s the girl! Get in touch via My Little Sweet.

As you can see from the photo this makes a super generous covering for the cake but I really love having the sweet and salty thing going on. Feel free to reduce the quantities if you prefer more cake with your ganache.

1. Bring cream almost to a simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat. Break chocolate into small chunks and add to the cream.

2. Stand for about 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt.

3. Stir well then add the peanut butter. Stir again.

4. Allow to cool to room temperature to thicken before using to decorate your cake. Will take a few hours. Or if you’re short on time pop it in the fridge for an hour to chill but don’t forget about it. You don’t want it rock hard!

Welcome to Stonesoup! It's a blog about helping YOU become the HEALTHIEST cook you can be, without spending hours in the kitchen. Most of the recipes here contain 5 ingredients and can be made in minutes.
I'm Jules Clancy. I love food especially veggies. I have a degree in Food Science and am the author of "5 ingredients 10 minutes".